Women’s Hair Loss: Have You Noticed Thinning?

For the longest time, I thought I was dealing with women’s hair loss because I would find what looked like gobs of hair in my brush when I brushed my hair each day. It seemed like a huge amount of hair, but as time went on, I realized that it must not be as much as I thought because I have thick hair and it remains that way. There is no thinning or balding to be found. I wondered how I could lose so much hair without finding a bald spot or two, so I did a little research.

As it turns out, we lose hundreds of hairs each day. To lose one or two hundred hairs a day is normal women’s hair loss. That is completely normal, but for most people, it is something that happens without notice. I notice my hair because it is blond and very curly. The pieces that fall out stay caught in the curls, and they all come out at once when I brush. Otherwise, I might not even notice what was going on. I do not have abnormal women’s hair loss, but that doesn’t mean there are not women who do.

Women’s hair loss becomes a problem when you notice thinning and/or bald spots. This might be something you want to talk to your doctor about. While we are use to men losing hair, it is not as common in women. In many cases, women’s hair loss signals something more serious going on. There could be an underlying medical condition that needs to be addressed. Women who have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) have a tendency to lose hair.

There are other things that can cause women’s hair loss, and if this is happening to you at an age younger than fifty or sixty, you may want to make sure there is no underlying cause. It might be a disease that you have to take care of, and your women’s hair loss might just be one of many clues. Remember that some women’s hair loss is normal, but bald spots are not. You may never notice when you are losing hairs, but you may know when it is getting worse with you when you spot more and more stray hairs falling out and lying around. Keep an eye on your brush, pillow, jackets, and your shower drain. If you find that the amount of hair you are losing seems to be much more than usual, have a visit with your doctor.

Menopause and Hair Loss

The onset of menopause can often lead to hair loss and has long been a part of aging that many women fear the most. These days many more women are also experiencing thinning and bald spots as they mature, and both men and women are reaching out for new solutions. Even though there is no real ‘cure’, there are many things that can be done to help. Both hormones and genes are to blame for menopause causing acute hair loss, as is the aging process. Confirming the causes of your loss with a competent and experienced dermatologist is the first step in determining your best treatment options.

It’s possible to have temporary loss of hair caused by physical stress, emotional stress, thyroid abnormalities, medications and hormonal changes (such as androgens and estrogens during menopause) normally associated with females. Tension on the hair by prolonged use of hair weaving or corn rows can also cause permanent loss.

There are autoimmune disorders such as Alopecia Areata that cause patchy loss of hair often in small circular areas in different areas of the scalp. Alopecia Totalis is a total loss of hair on the scalp and is considered an advanced form of Areata. Alopecia Universalis is total hair loss of the entire body. People with diseases such as diabetes and lupus have also reported losing hair as a result. It’s normal to shed some hair each day as about 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time during a normal phase that lasts for 2 to 6 years at one time. Some women notice they are losing hair about 3 months after delivering a child. This is related to a hormone loss and is usually temporary.

Several medicines have been known to cause hair loss such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines used for gout and in chemotherapy to treat cancer. Also, the use of vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants has been known to cause hair loss.

Remember, the onset of menopause can often lead to hair loss and has long been a part of aging that many women and men fear the most. Even though there is no real cute, there are many things that can be done to help. Select the Hair Loss Doc Shop to locate a doctor near you.